9 Surprising Places Salmonella Bacteria Lurk

Salmonella poisoning isn't just a raw chicken thing. Here are other places to watch for it

Petting zoos

With the variety of animals at a petting zoos, and kids encouraged to touch and pet, salmonella is a definite risk, Adalja says. In Minnesota in 2014, a traveling petting zoo was deemed the cause of outbreaks there. Adalja tells parents to have children wash thoroughly with soap and water as soon as possible after the visit. If there’s no sink nearby, use hand sanitizer. Salmonella is common in animals’ intestines and is spread mainly by the fecal-oral route. Once it's shed onto the animals' fur or in their pens, kids can easily get it on their hands and then put their hands into their mouths. Parents should keep pacifiers, baby bottles and children's drinks outside the petting area to reduce contamination risk.

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Petting zoos

With the variety of animals at a petting zoos, and kids encouraged to touch and pet, salmonella is a definite risk, Adalja says. In Minnesota in 2014, a traveling petting zoo was deemed the cause of outbreaks there. Adalja tells parents to have children wash thoroughly with soap and water as soon as possible after the visit. If there’s no sink nearby, use hand sanitizer. Salmonella is common in animals’ intestines and is spread mainly by the fecal-oral route. Once it's shed onto the animals' fur or in their pens, kids can easily get it on their hands and then put their hands into their mouths. Parents should keep pacifiers, baby bottles and children's drinks outside the petting area to reduce contamination risk.